The New Studio Hagel x ASICS Creations Is ‘Not Total Rubbish’

Experimental footwear design studio Hagel have firmly established a name for themselves in the sneakersphere as the go-to for out-of-the-box thinking that not only pushes aesthetic boundaries but utility too. Most recently coming out with the wild, mutated Mostro, beautifully crafted Sambas inspired by napkins, and of course a tent for your feet (what every explorer needs, really). Now, the Amsterdam based artists are partnering up with ASICS to create a model that experiments with complete circularity: the ASICS NeoCurve. The initiative is a big step towards ASICS’ mission to hit net zero emissions by 2050.

Taking nearly two years to come to fruition, the model has been built completely from shoes that had been discarded. The material came from European recycling heroes FastFeetGrinded, who have created a unique method to recycle old shoes, unused materials from the production process, and unsellable samples. For the NeoCurve, the team used ASICS’ discarded shoes that were recycled directly from their own bins and the design of the model was also recycled in a way since it was pulled out of the Japanese brand’s rich archive. Chosen by Studio Hagel, the cross-trainer features an extreme outsole roll-up on the heel, integrated wave pattern in the knit, and on-trend metallic overlay and accents. The NeoCurve is debuting in two simple colourway, a stealthy black and a ‘Piedmont Grey’, although both feature the metallic silver.

The Studio Hagel x ASICS NeoCurve has already landed on shelves across Europe, with a global release possibly on the cards in the coming weeks.